The industry view of privacy has been officially articulated in a Recommended Code of Conduct for Consumer Tracking Methods that has been provided to the World Privacy Forum. The code of conduct is contained in full in Appendix A.

There is no public awareness of the capabilities of digital signage, and that has to change before for any debate over regulation or legislation can start. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify from other privacy arenas the types of standards that should be considered for users of digital signage. Full recommendations will only be possible at a later stage. Here are some preliminary ideas.

New forms of sophisticated digital sign networks are being deployed widely by retailers and others in both public and private spaces. Few consumers, legislators, regulators, or policy makers are aware of the capabilities of digital signs or of the extent of their use. The technology presents new problems and highlights old conflicts about privacy, public spaces, and the need for a meaningful debate. The privacy problems inherent in digital networks are profound, and to date these issues have not been adequately addressed by anyone.

The following document is the recommended code of conduct for businesses engaging in consumer tracking. The document is entirely non-binding, and was created entirely by industry participants. The document is reproduced here in full with no changes.

Best Practices: Recommended Code of Conduct for Consumer Tracking Methods

Biometrics and ID — The California DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles) has proposed, through an expedited 30- day process, that it begin taking detailed facial scans of drivers and storing the scans in a state-wide database. This change, among other proposed DMV changes, represents a substantial policy shift for the state of California. The World Privacy Forum has urged that this process goes through normal legislative procedures so that there is adequate time for public input and for formal hearings.

This new WPF report finds that medical identity theft is still a crime that causes great harms to its victims, and that it is growing overall in the United States; however, there’s a catch. The national consumer complaint data suggests that the crime is growing at different rates in different states and regions of the US, creating medical identity theft “hotspots.” These hotspots are important for patients, policymakers, and healthcare stakeholders to know about so as to address potential risks.

WPF has conducted original research on India's Aadhaar, a national biometric ID system, including field research in India during 2010-2014. WPF has published the original research in a peer-reviewed journal, Nature-Springer, and in Harvard-based Journal of Technology Science. The research found that systemic challenges to data protection and privacy exist in the Aadhaar system, challenges which do have potential remedies. Key lessons can be learned for both the US and the EU as biometric systems grow in popularity.